Online Retailer Shein Halts Campaigns With Israeli Influencers After Only Selling Palestinian Flags

The Chinese e-commerce website Shein has stirred new controversy by calling off its campaigns with Israeli Instagram influencers after it was criticized for selling Palestinian flags — and not Israeli ones — following Hamas’ terror onslaught against Israel earlier this month.

“Thank you very much for your support and love for Shein,” the company wrote in an email to Israeli social media influencers, according to Israel Hayom. “Due to adjustments to the campaign schedule, the publication date has been postponed. As such, please put a hold on your posts. We will provide an update regarding specific details and publication date later on. Thank you very much.”

The email came just days after the online retailer was scrutinized for selling flags of various countries and Palestinian flags on its website, while a search for flags of Israel led to a broken link. In response, upset Israeli consumers and supporters of the Jewish state called for a boycott of Shein.

“You support a terrorist organization that attacks my country, Israel. Hamas is worse than ISIS,” one shopper wrote in the customer service section in one of Shein’s largest Facebook groups, according to Israeli media. “Those who support Hamas support terrorism. We will not buy more from you if you do not remove the flag and add the Israeli flag.”

Another customer wrote on the company’s website: “In light of the situation in Israel, it should be clear to everyone that the flag of Palestine symbolizes terrorism and is antisemitic. Since the site sells such a terrorist flag, I am deleting my account and I don’t intend to purchase from you again and this is what I will recommend to all Israelis and their supporters.”

In response to the backlash, Shein removed the Palestinian flags from its website.

The controversy followed Hamas’ massacre of over 1,400 Israelis while invading the Jewish state on Oct. 7. The terrorist group also kidnapped about 200 people, including the elderly and children, and took them back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel Hayom reported that Shein stopped its free shipping to Israel, but the company’s website still shows free shipping options to the Jewish state.

Shein was previously criticized in 2020 for selling a swastika necklace on its website. The brand eventually removed the item and apologized, but also tried to explain how the swastika was a holy symbol in Buddhism.

Shein did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

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